The Power of Words
by Writing4ever4God
Summary: Megan must help Molly overcome a problem with her teacher. Meanwhile, Danny is having school troubles of his own. R/R
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the ponies you recognize in this story. They belong to Hasbro. I do however own The Hartson girls, as well as anyone else you don't recognize.

God loves you

Enjoy!

"Saying the Right Thing"

Chapter 1

Megan sighed as she brought her seven year old sister into the house. She didn't know what she was going to do with her, but she knew what she wasn't going to do.

"No way," Megan said firmly as Molly attempted to wrap her arms around her waist. "No way. Sit down now." She was surprised at how firm she was being, but she had to be. Molly had done something that was inexcusable and she had to correct it before it went any further.

"Megan!" Molly sobbed. "Please, I just-"

"No. Now sit down and let me think for a minute."

Molly obeyed, but she was still crying. She had her face buried in her hands and she was sobbing hard.

Just then, Fizzy came in. She frowned when she saw the state Molly was in.

"Megan, what happened to Molly?" Fizzy asked. "Why is she crying?"

"I'll tell you later," Megan told her friend. "I promise. Either Molly or I will tell you. Right now, can you please put the baby ponies down for nap?"

Fizzy nodded, but she didn't want to leave her friend. She gave Molly a sympathetic look, followed by a reassuring smile

Before she left, Fizzy hesitated as she stepped forward and nuzzling Molly reassuringly.

Megan saw Fizzy's uncertainty and hastened to put her fears at ease.

"It's okay, Miss Fizzy," she said, using her special name for Fizzy. "You can nuzzle Molly, but she can't go with you right now. She and I need to talk."

Fizzy nodded and gave Molly one more nuzzle before leaving the room. She hated leaving her best friend when she was upset, but she didn't want to get her into anymore trouble.

"It's gonna be okay," Fizzy assured her best friend. "I promise." With that, she left the room to put the baby ponies down for nap.

Once Fizzy was gone, Megan sat down across from Molly.

"Molly, I want you to look at me, okay?" Her tone was a no nonsense one and Molly knew it all too well. She had heard Megan use it with their cousin, Danny more times than with herself, but she knew it anyway. "I want you to tell me why you talked back to your teacher."

"You wouldn't understand," Molly said tearfully.

"Try me," Megan said. She was almost back to her gentle self. "Let's put it this way, try me, or you're going to spend the next hour in your room."

Molly nodded and did her best to explain what had happened.

"I didn't want to read in front of the class, and I told Mrs. Marson, no thank you, but she still made me do it. I tried my best, but the class started making fun of me."

"Why in all of Ponyland would they do that?" Megan asked.

Molly shrugged. She was almost in tears again.

"I couldn't say one of the words and I messed it up."

Megan nodded as a light bulb when off in her head.

"Was it a "ge" one? Did it have a hard "G" Sound?"

Molly nodded and the tears came pouring out of her hazel eyes like a waterfall.

Megan's heart broke as she thought of what her baby sister had to endure that day.

"Molly…come here." With that, Megan held out her arms to her distraught baby sister and offered her the cuddle she so desperately needed.

"What happened next?" Megan asked softly as she wrapped her arms around her baby sister protectively. She started stroking Molly's light brown hair, hoping it would bring her a sense of comfort.

"Mrs. Marson asked me to try again, and I did, but I couldn't say it, so I stopped. I told her to get someone else to read and she said I was a bad girl. She said that I wasn't trying hard enough and then she called me…." Molly's voice trailed off as she started to cry again.

"Shh," Megan said gently. "It's okay. Megan has you. You're where you belong now. You're in your big sister's arms, safe and sound. It's okay now. Come on, my little sunshine, you have to tell me what she said. That's the only way I can help you."

"She called me… she called me…. She said I was stupid."

Megan's jaw was about on the ground. In the twelve years she had been in school, she had never heard of a teacher calling a child stupid. Let alone her baby sister. Molly was anything but stupid. She was very smart for her age and she was very bright.

"What did you say next?" Megan asked, feeling like she was now getting somewhere.

"I told her I wasn't stupid and then I called her an ugly witch." Molly admitted.

"Oh Molly!" Megan exclaimed, a little exasperatedly. She was trying to keep from laughing. The reason was, Molly's teacher did resemble Hydia in a certain way. She had a crooked nose and a few missing teeth, but overall, she was an okay woman.

Megan regained her composure and her smile faded. She had to be the big sister. She had to teach Molly right from wrong.

"You know that wasn't nice right," Megan asked.

Molly nodded.

"But what she called me was worser," Molly said.

"Worse," Megan corrected her. "Not worser."

"Yeah, that," Molly said.

Megan sighed. One of these days she was going to succeed in correcting her baby sister's English.

Heaving another sigh, she gave Molly a hug.

"Tell you what, I'm going to talk to her and then we'll get everything straightened out, okay?"

"You promise," Molly asked.

Megan nodded.

Just then, the front door burst open and their younger cousin, Danny Smith, stormed in. He looked angry.

"That son of a-"

"Danny!" Megan exclaimed. "We don't need that kind of language here. Especially with Molly in the room. There are other words you can use to express your anger."

"Whatever," Danny said. "That two faced monkey brain."

This got Megan smiling and Molly giggling.

"Who are you mad at?" Molly asked, trying to change the subject.

"My math teacher," Danny said.

Megan sighed. It seemed like her whole family was having problems in school. She was just grateful that her little sister, Julie, was doing well.

In fact, Julie was on a trip with her fourth grade class for the next two weeks. They had gone to Florida to learn how to create their very own books. They were going to take lessons from a real children's book author. Julie had been excited about the trip ever since her teacher, Miss Crystal, had announced it two weeks before hand. Megan prayed and hoped that her little one was having a good time.

As for Danny, he normally lived in Colorado with his parents and little brother, Zack. But Megan's Aunt Rosie and Uncle Chris were having problems, so they had sent Danny to live with Aunt Abby for awhile. Therefore, that meant Danny was hanging out in Ponyland with the Hartson sisters the majority of the time.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Megan asked, giving Danny a concerned look.

Danny shook his head.

"Nah. I want to burn off some anger. Where's Fizzy. I need a game of soccer."

Megan sighed.

"I think you should still talk to me. But we can talk later. Fizzy is in the back yard. Buttons too."

Danny nodded and left, slamming the door behind him.

"He needs a time out, " Molly said, snuggling into Megan.

"I think you're right." Megan agreed. With that, she scooped Molly up and started tickling her tummy. She wanted to get her mind off of the horrible day she had experienced. Besides, Megan loved hearing Molly giggle.

The tickle attack did the trick. In a matter of mintues, Molly was giggling up a storm.

Megan grinned.

"Now that's the sound I wanted to hear." With that, Megan hugged Molly close before suggesting she go play with the baby ponies until dinnertime.

Molly liked that idea and went off to find Baby Lofty and the others.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the ponies you recognize in this story. They belong to Hasbro. I do however own The Hartson girls, as well as anyone else you don't recognize.

God loves you

Enjoy!

"Saying the Right Thing"

Chapter 2

The next morning, Molly woke up crying. She didn't want to go to school, but Megan was making her. Megan promised Molly that she would talk to her teacher and get things worked out, but little did Megan know what she was in for.

When Megan reached Molly's classroom later that afternoon, Molly ran to Megan and threw her arms around her older sister's waist. She was crying from fear.

"Shh," Megan soothed as she picked her up. "it's okay, my little sunshine. Megan's here now. You're back where you belong. You're back where you belong, in my arms, safe and sound. It's okay now. It's okay, sweetie. You're going to Paradise Estate while I talk to your teacher okay? Firefly is waiting for you. Go on."

As she set Molly down, Molly went towards Firefly and then they were off. Megan took a deep breath as she waited for the teacher to arrive.

When Molly's teacher did show up, Megan had to hold back from giggling. She looked even more evil than Megan remembered. She had black hair that was unkempt and two more teeth were missing.

'Now wonder Molly called her a witch," Megan thought to herself.

"You Megan Hartson?" Mrs. Marson asked.

"Yes, I am," Megan said, trying to sound professional. "It's nice to see you again."

"Whatever," Mrs. Marson answered. "Let's get this over with. I want to be home in time for soul train."

Megan shook her head.

"Molly told me about what happened yesterday," Megan started, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, "and I was very surprised and disappointed to learn that you called her stupid."

Mrs. Marson nodded, but her expression didn't change.

"I call 'em as I see 'em young lady. You were bright, she isn't so. Like they say the apple never falls far from the tree. Was your mother a bright woman?"

Megan was beside herself with anger. She never had encountered a more evil teacher in her life. When she had had Mrs. Marson for first grade, she was all right, now it just seemed like old age had caused her to become bitter.

"Molly is not stupid," Megan said again. "Neither was our mother. And neither am I. Are you aware she has a speech problem?"

Mrs. Marson nodded.

"I knew something was off. She can't say any "GE" Words for the life of her. I thought it was just because she was being stubborn, but now that you mention it…."

"Are you willing to help her?" Megan asked, hoping to talk some sense into the old woman.

Mrs. Marson shook her head.

"That's your problem, girlie. I don't help kids outside of this room. They cause me enough trouble when they are here."

Megan sighed and thought it was best to leave. She was going to talk to Molly's principal.

When Megan got to the office, she found Mrs. Pearlson, sitting behind her desk. She smiled when she saw Megan. Mrs. Pearlson was a kind woman and she always liked the Hartsons', even Danny, who could be a handful sometimes.

"Why hello there, Megan," Mrs. Pearlson said. "How are you?"

"I'm doing all right. I need to talk to you. I was wondering if I could get Molly transferred to another second grade class. She's not getting along well with Mrs. Marson."

Mrs. Pearlson thought about this for a moment, and then asked, "Do you want to come inside and talk?"

Megan nodded. She stepped into Mrs. Pearlson's office and was quickly overcome by memories of time she had spent there as a counselor for trouble teenagers. She had helped a lot of kids who just needed a sympathetic ear and someone to listen. She had enjoyed that job immensely.

"What seems to be the problem," Mrs. Pearlson asked.

Megan went onto explain what was going on.

"You know that Molly has a speech problem, right?"

Mrs. Pearlson nodded.

"yes. And I think I might have a way to help her with it."

"You do?" Megan asked.

"Yes. Have you ever considered putting her in speech therapy? There are different classes for different problems. And it actually works. My daughter, Serenity,

had a speech problem with her "SH's" and after a few months of speech class, she was fine."

Megan thought about that, and then nodded.

"Can you give me the number to this speech therapy person?"

Mrs. Pearlson nodded. "I'd be happy too."

"Now about Mrs. Marson. A couple of other parents have complained to me about her, not just you. I know Molly is a bright child and a very sweet one, so I'm going to help you get her out of there any way I can."

"The sooner the better." Megan said.

"I agree," Mrs. Pearlson replied.

After their conversation was ove,r Megan thanked Mrs. Pearlson for her help and left the school building.

Firefly was waiting for Megan by the apple tree.

"So did you get everything sorted out?" Firefly asked, nuzzling Megan gently.

Megan sighed.

"I hope so. I really hope so." With that, the two best friends headed back to Ponyland.

When Megan returned to Paradise Estate, she told Molly what had happened. Molly was happy that she was getting out of Mrs. Marson's room, but when Megan brought up the subject of speech therapy, Molly's smile disappeared. She became very quiet and all she wanted was to spend time with Fizzy. She didn't want to talk about it anymore and Megan finally resigned to putting her down for an early nap.

After Molly was tucked in, Megan went to talk to Danny. She found him playing a game of soccer with Ribbon, Paradise and Fizzy.

"Can we talk?" Megan asked.

"Okay," Danny said reluctantly. "Am I in trouble?"

Megan laughed.

"No. I just want to know what happened with your math teacher, that's all."

Danny sighed.

"You can't do anything about it. I just don't understand fractions. I never will get it."

"Never say never," Megan encouraged. "You'll get it. And I have the perfect solution." She left and returned with Wind Whistler.

"What's going on?" Danny asked.

"Meet your new math tutor." Megan said. 'I'll leave you guys alone. I need to check on Molly."

Danny stared at Wind Whistler for a moment, before regaining his senses and opening his math book to the page that he was supposed to do for homework.

Meanwhile, Megan went into the nursery to find Molly awake. She was sitting up and Fizzy was trying to get her back to sleep.

"I'm not tired," Molly insisted.

"Molly?" Megan asked, her tone full of concern. She came over and sat on the edge of the bed. She held out her arms to Molly. "Come here, sweetie. Come to Megan."

"Where I belong." Molly said as she dove into Megan's loving embrace, clinging on for all it was worth.

"That's right, honey. In your big sister's arms where you belong. Now, what happened, my little sunshine? Did you have a bad dream?"

Molly shook her head.

Without warning, Molly burst into tears and buried her face in her older sister's shoulder.

"Megan, please don't' make me go to speech therapy, please!"

"Molly, it's okay. I promise it's not going to be scary. I can even come with you if you want. I promise, this teacher is not going to be mean like Mrs. Marson. If anything she's going to be like Miss Elle. Remember your pre-kindergarten teacher?"

Molly nodded. She had liked Miss Elle a lot.

Megan started stroking Molly's hair and rubbing her back, trying to get her back to sleep.

Fizzy did her part by rubbing Molly's shoulder with her front right hoof, trying to bring her some comfort.

Finally, about twenty minutes later, Molly was in dreamland once again.

Megan made sure Molly was going to be okay before she left to fix dinner.

Fizzy volunteered to stay with Molly, to which Megan was grateful.

When Megan and Molly arrived at school the next day, Megan took Molly to her classroom and promised to pick her up after school.

After Megan had given Molly a kiss good-bye, Molly went over to her seat and sat down. She clutched her own Rainbow of Light and hoped that the day would go fast. She wanted to be

back with Megan. She didn't like being in Mrs. Marson's class.

"Allright you little brats," Mrs. Marson said. "Take out your reading books and turn to page 43. And hurry up about it!"

Everyone did so and held their breath as they waited for Mrs. Marson to call on the first person to start reading.

Mrs. Marson looked around the room for a moment, and then her eyes fell upon Molly. The child looked so scared, so small. The perfect victim for humiliation this early in the morning.

"Molly Hartson, would you be so kind?" Mrs. Marson asked, her voice was full of malice and sarcasm.

Molly looked down at the page and frowned. There were several hard "GE" Words on it and she knew she was going to have trouble. She hadn't started speech therapy yet and she was bound to make a mistake. She took a deep breath and started to read.

"Sagwa ran to find Fu-Fu. She wanted to get to the party before Dongwa. She was hungry for the oran…. Oran… oran ran to the field and saw a stran… stran…stran… animal running in front of her."

"You skipped a word," MRs. Marson said, her voice full of evil delight. "In fact, you skipped two words. Go back and read it again. And this time, no skipping. This isn't recess."

"Can you pick someone else, please?" Molly asked, hoping her manners would get her somewhere.

"Can you pick someone else please?" Mrs. Marson mimicked. "No I cannot pick someone else. I picked you. Now do it, you stupid good-for-nothing brat. NOW!"

Molly felt her hazel eyes brim with tears of fear and anger. She wanted to call Mrs. Marson something bad, but she knew that Megan would never approve of it and she also knew that she would be in even greater trouble with Megan if she did it, so she held her tongue. She wanted to be anywhere but sitting in this classroom. She wanted to be in Megan's arms. She wanted her big sister. She wanted Megan. She wanted Fizzy, she wanted anyone to help her.

As Molly sat there, she felt her cheeks burn with anger and embarrassment. She threw the book to the ground and ran for the door. She wasn't going to stay

here anymore. She had to get out of here.

As Molly ran through the hallway, she crashed into Danny. He was talking to his friend, Jake and he didn't notice Molly, until she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Uh Danny," Jake said. "It looks like you have a girlfriend. But ain't she sort of small for you?"

"Shut up!" Danny said playfully. He then bent down and picked Molly up. "What's the matter, squirt?" He asked, using his nickname for Molly. "Did something

scare you?"

Molly was crying so hard, that her breathing was labored a little. Once she got control, she said the only thing that was on her mind.

"Megan," She said. "I want Megan!"

"She's in her classroom," Danny said. He then turned to Jake and said, "I'll be right back, buddy. I have to take my little cousin somewhere."

"Whatever man," Jake said. "Mrs. Forester is going to be ticked off if you're late again."

"She can kiss my butt." Danny said, glaring towards the classroom door.

"Danny!" Molly said through her tears. "That's not nice!"

"I know, I know. Come on, let's get you to Megan before my math teacher has my head." Danny carried Molly to Megan's biology class. He knocked on the door

and waited for someone to answer.

When the science teacher, Mrs. Patterson, answered the door, Danny felt his heart leap in his throat. She was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. She had long brown hair and lovely green eyes. He had always had a crush on her.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Uh, yes, I mean, yes Ma'am," Danny said, regaining his senses. "I need to see my cousin, Megan. her little sister Molly, needs her."

"Of course. I'll be right back." As Mrs. Patterson walked away, Danny smiled after her.

Molly then hissed in Danny's ear, "Danny has a crush!"

"Be quiet," Danny said. "You're lucky I brought you here at all. I could have just left you to fend for your-"

"Danny?" Megan's voice brought Danny to a stop. "What's the matter? Why are you-" She stopped when she saw Molly and gasped. "Molly, are you okay? What happened, sis? Come here."

As Molly felt Megan take her from Danny, she remembered why she had sought her big sister's help and the tears gushed forth again. She was just so relieved to be away from the classroom of doom that she didn't care what happened next.

"Molly, what happened?" Megan asked. "Danny, go back to your classroom. I've got it from here. Molly will be okay."

Danny nodded and then he made his way back into Mrs. Patterson's room.

"What are you doing?" Megan asked.

"Getting a pass," Danny said, his tone was one of excitement like it was Christmas.

Megan rolled her eyes. She didn't quite understand what had made her younger cousin so happy. She then turned her attention back to Molly, who was now crying and shaking in her arms…


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the ponies you recognize in this story. They belong to Hasbro. I do however own The Hartson girls, as well as anyone else you don't recognize.

God loves you

Enjoy!

"The Power of Words"

Chapter 3

"Now, back to you, my little sunshine, what's gotten you so upset? And how did you manage to get out of your classroom alone?"

Molly let out a sob as Megan carried her over to a bench and sat down with her in her lap.

"I had to re-read again and…" was the only sentence that came out of her mouth before more sobs wracked her small form.

"All right, shh," Megan soothed. "Shh, my little sunshine. You're safe. You're back where you belong. You're back in your big sister's arms safe and sound. It's okay now. You're all right. I have you. Can you use your words and tell Megan what happened? I promise I wont' be mad at you."

Molly took a deep breath and nodded.

Just then, Danny came out of the classroom, holding the pass as if it were gold. He walked right passed Megan and Molly without so much as a glance towards them.

"Younger cousins," Megan muttered as she listened to Molly start to explain what had happened.

"Mrs. Marson asked me to read again and she was really mean about it," Molly started. "She made me read a part with a lot of words I couldn't say and then she made fun of me in front of the whole class. She called me a… she called me a…." Molly's voice trailed off as more tears came. "She called me a good-for-nothing brat and she said I was stupid again."

Megan nodded and got up from her spot. She carried Molly to the principal's office. She was going to have Molly transferred if it was the last thing she did.

As they made their way over to the principal's office, they found Danny standing outside his classroom. He was trying to explain himself to his math teacher, who wasn't buying any of it, even though it was the truth.

"Detention, young man," MRs. Forester said.

Danny was about to protest, but he then remembered who did the detentions and he kept his mouth shut. Mrs. Patterson was in charge of them. Danny wasn't being punished after all. He was getting a reward.

When Megan and Molly arrived in the principal's office, they were told to wait until Mrs. Pearlson could see them.

Megan sat down in a chair and held Molly close, hoping to help her feel better.

Molly had fallen asleep from crying so much, so Megan was now holding her and trying to let her get some rest. She needed it. She had her first speech therapy class that afternoon and she was pretty scared about it.

"Megan?" Mrs. Pearlson asked. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes." Megan replied. She went into the room. After she was seated, Mrs. Pearlson offered her a bottle of iced tea, which she took and then told Mrs. Pearlson what she needed. "I want Molly transferred tomorrow." She said. "No if ands or buts."

"I told you that this is a long process," Mrs. Pearlson said. "We can't rush things-"

"I don't care how long it takes! Molly was just humiliated by her and she ran to get me. Don't you think that's urgent enough. This woman is torturing my baby sister, and who knows how many other kids. If you can't help them, at least help her. Please."

Mrs. Pearlson responded to Megan's softer words.

"I'll try." She could tell Megan was going through a lot, as was Molly. She wanted to do everything she

could to help them, but it was going to take time.

Later that afternoon, Danny came home with a smile on his face. He sat at the kitchen table and munched on a few of Cupcake's cookies without a care in the world.

Cupcake gave him a strange look.

"What has you so happy?"

"Detention," Danny said.

"Detention?" Megan asked, peeking her head in from the living room. "Daniel Michael Smith, get in here now."

Danny did so. He knew when Megan used his full name, he was in BIG trouble.

"What did I do?" He asked.

"I don't know," Megan said. "You tell me. What did you do to receive detention and why are you so happy about it?"

Danny shrugged.

"I got in trouble for being late after I brought Molly to your classroom. I tried ot tell my math teacher what happened, but she didn't' believe me."

Megan sighed.

"I'll tlak to her." She assured him.

Danny shrugged.

"It's not a big deal." He said. "I'll just serve the detention."

"Why would you rather serve a punishment you don't deserve then honestly get out of it?" His older cousin asked.

"Mrs. Patterson," He replied. "Your biology teacher is the one who does the detentions."

"So?" Megan asked, not grasping what her younger cousin was getting at.

"So!" Danny said incredulously. "Megan, your biology teacher is a babe!"

Megan's jaw about hit the ground.

"You're in love with my bio teacher?"

"Yup. Always have been. Ever since third grade. Man does she have nice eyes."

Megan tried her best to hold her giggles back, but it was hard.

"Danny has a crush! Danny has a crush!" Molly sang as she ran through the house to go play with Fizzy. "Danny has a crush!"

"Stay out of this!" Both Danny and Megan said in unison.

After Molly was out of the door, Megan rounded on Danny.

"Danny, is that why you were so happy to get a pass from her?"

Danny nodded.

"No. I was glad to get a pass from her, I was happy when I got the detention."

Megan shook her head.

"You are too much. Is that why you've been getting into fights more and more this year. Just so you can spend an hour with my bio teacher who is sixteen years older than you?"

Danny nodded.

"But that's not the only reason," He said.

"I can't wait to hear the other reason," Megan said sarcastically.

"They give out good food." Danny said.

"Who?" Megan asked.

"The other kids. They always have chips or pretzels."

Megan rolled her eyes.

"I have to get Molly ready for her S-P-E-E-C-H therapy," She said, spelling out the first word so that Molly wouldn't understand it at first. "We'll talk about this later. I can promise you that."

"Can I use your laptop?" Danny asked.

"For what?" Megan asked.

"He probably wants to make a Valentine's Day card!" Molly taunted from the doorway. "Danny's in love!"

"Shut up!" Danny shouted. "At least I can read."

"Danny!" Megan said firmly. "That wasn't nice and you know it."

"Molly started it!" Danny said harshly. "She needs to mind her own damn business."

"Danny!" Megan scolded again. "Go to your room now."

Danny didn't move at first, but then he saw the glare in Megan's green eyes and went right away.

"And as for you, my little sunshine, you need to learn when to keep out of people's conversations, okay?"

"I was only kidding," Molly said, her lower lip starting to tremble.

"I know you were," Megan said. "I'm not mad at you, Moll. But you really need to work on it, okay?"

"Okay," Molly said with a sigh.

"Aw, that's my girl. Now, why don't you go play with Fizzy until dinner is ready. I think Firefly is making your favorite."

Molly beamed, knowing what Megan was getting at. Firefly's broccoli and noodle casserole was one of Molly's favorite meals.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the ponies you recognize in this story. They belong to Hasbro. I do however own The Hartson girls, as well as anyone else you don't recognize.

God loves you

Enjoy!

A/N: We're getting close to the end of the story. Thank you so much to everyone who has hung on until the end! I hope everyone likes this next chapter!

"The Power of Words"

Chapter 4

When Megan and Molly arrived at the clinic, Molly became very shy, not to mention clingy. She didn't want Megan to put her down.

When her older sister did so, Molly wrapped her arms around her waist, forcing the older girl to pick her back up once again.

When they reached the room, Megan sat on a chair with Molly in her lap.

Ten minutes later, the teacher came in. She smiled when she saw Molly, and smiled even wider when she saw Megan as if she recognized her from somewhere.

It was only when Megan looked up to return the smile did she notice who it was.

"Miss Elle! Oh my goodness. It's so good to see you again. Moll, look who it is." She got up to greet her and Molly's old pre-kindergarten teacher and Molly grinned a little, but still didn't say anything.

After everyone was in the room, Miss Elle took role and then started the lesson. She allowed Molly to remain on Megan's lap as long as she paid attention to what was going on.

When it came time for Molly to participate, she didn't want to. She buried her face in Megan's shoulder and wouldn't look at Miss Elle or the board with the letters on it. She was just plain scared.

"Come on, Moll," Megan said, using her sister's family nickname, "it's going to be okay. I promise. Miss Elle isn't going to hurt you. She just wants to help you say your "GE" Words better, that's all."

Molly nodded, but she was stil crying as Megan carried her back to the room.

Meanwhile, back in Paradise Estate, Wind Whistler was having some trouble of her own. She was trying to teach Danny his math, but Danny's mind was elsewhere.

He was thinking of his detention with Mrs. Patterson and how he could earn himself some more time with her.

"So 1/3 plus 1/36 equals what?" Wind Whistler asked expectantly.

"Huh?" Danny asked.

"Are you even paying attention?" Wind Whistler demanded, she was starting to get a little frustrated with Danny.

Danny nodded.

"Well, what did I just say then?" Wind Whistler asked.

Danny sighed, which proved Wind Whistler's point.

"I can't teach you if you won't pay attention to me." She said, using words he would understand instead of her usual way of speaking for once.

Danny shrugged before trying in vein to concentrate on his math homework and the lesson Wind Whistler was trying to teach him.

Meanwhile, back in the clinic, Megan was trying to get Molly to cooperate. It was hard and Miss Elle was trying her best to show Molly that she had nothing to fear. She even had one of the other girls go first, so that Molly wouldn't feel like she was being put on the spot. They were supposed to be repeating words and saying names of colors and shapes that Miss Elle pointed to on the board above the poster on the wall. It was supposed to show Miss Elle what they had trouble with.

Most of the kids had trouble saying "SH" Words and other things, but not many of them had Molly's problem. Except for one little girl named Paige.

"Molly, can you tell me what this color is?" Miss Elle asked. She pointed to an orange diamond that was next to a blue triangle.

Molly looked at it, but didn't say a word.

"You can do it, Moll," Megan encouraged. "Come on. Just try. For me?"

Molly shook her head and buried her face in Megan's shoulder.

Megan sighed and rubbed her back. She knew this was going to be hard, but she didn't think Molly would be this scared.

"All right, Paige," Miss Elle said. "Can you tell us what it is, sweetie?"

"Oran….." Paige said, stopping slightly. "Oran… Oranse."

Hearing this, Molly turned around to see who had said it. She glanced to her right to see a little girl about the age of five, sitting on a chair. She had light brown hair that was in a braid and brown eyes. She looked really friendly.

Molly gave her a small smile and then asked, "You can't say it either?"

Megan gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected Molly to blurt that question out like that. She nudged her gently.

"Molly!" She scolded.

"It's okay, Megan," Miss Elle said. "That's a very good question."

Paige shook her head and almost started crying.

Molly then did something that totally surprised Megan. She got off her lap and went over to Paige. She put an arm around her and gave her a hug.

"Do you want to sit next to me and my sister?" She asked.

Paige nodded and let Molly take her hand. When they were sitting back down, Megan took Molly onto her lap and then whispered in her ear, "I'm very proud of you, my little sunshine."

Molly nodded and turned around to face Miss Elle again. Miss Elle was also smiling at her.

"Now, can anyone tell me what this is?" She asked, pointing to the orange diamond again.

This time, Molly raised her hand. She was going to try, even if she didn't get it right.

"Oran… ORanse." Molly said, she frowned, but Miss Elle was smiling at her.

"Good try, Molly. Look at Miss Elle. Watch me. Repeat after me. Oran (R ae n dz) Oran (R ae n dz). Now you try."

Molly took a deep breath and tried her best. "Oran. Oran… Oran… Oranse."

"Orange!" Shouted a boy to Molly's right. "Anybody can say that."

"Brandon!" Miss Elle scolded firmly. "Remember what I said about using your nice words. That wasn't nice. Now say you're sorry."

Brandon didn't move or make an attempt to say sorry to Molly. He stayed silent.

Megan was glaring at him as was Paige.

Paige had grown to like Molly over the first few minutes of their meeting and she didn't like it when people were mean to her friends. Even if they were new.

"Say sorry, now!" Paige demanded. She stood up and glared at Brandon.

"No." HE said defiantly. 'I'm not sorry. She can't even say orange right. I could say that at three."

Paige glared at him. She didn't like Brandon much. He was a brat.

Molly had once again buried her face in Megan's shoulder and had started to cry. This was not a good thing, considering she had just started perking up.

As Megan tried to calm her down, she glared at Brandon as did most of the other kids.

Miss Elle frowned, but continued with the lesson. She asked various kids questions and then it was Brandon's turn to be embarrassed.

"Brandon," Miss Elle said, "can you tell me what this animal is?" She was pointing to a kangaroo.

Brandon stared at the animal, but didn't say anything.

"Brandon?" Miss Elle asked. "Do you know what this animal is?"

Brandon finally spoke,

"Kan… Kan… Kaneroo."

Molly giggled into her hand.

Megan gave her sister a slight nudge. She leaned over and hissed into her left ear, "Molly, you know better. That's not nice."

"So what?" Molly asked. "He laughed at me."

"Still," Megan said. "You know better than that."

"So that's what it is!" Paige said, sitting up straighter in her chair.

Brandon blushed and turned away from Paige, who was now giggling softly.

"Now, now girls," Miss Elle said, "settle down."

Megan nudged Molly, who quieted down as did Paige. A few minutes later, Miss Elle asked them to do something that Molly wasn't' ready for. She got a book off the shelf and gave it to Paige.

"Can you read the first page and then give it to Molly, okay?"

Paige nodded and did so. As she opened the book, she started to read it and then stopped. She stumbled on a word and then continued.

When she gave it to Molly, Molly took it with shaky hands, but didn't' read it. She couldn't. She was too scared. All she could remember was what had happened to her that morning with her teacher.

Megan noticed this and tried to encourage Molly to do it.

"Come on, Moll. It's okay. Remember how we read at home every night? I read a page, then you read one. It's just like that. Only you get to read a lot more. Come on. I'll bet Fizzy will be really proud of you when I tell her how well you did."

But it was no use, Molly didn't make an effort to read one word. She buried her face in Megan's shoulder and started to cry again.

Miss Elle frowned sympathetically towards the scared child and told Brandon to take his turn. He did so, and stumbled on the word Kangaroo. Paige giggled, but Molly didn't even notice.

By the time the class was over, Molly had cried herself to sleep again. Megan carried her out of the room to where Firefly and North Star were waiting to take them back to Paradise Estate.

Firefly frowned when she saw Molly's expression.

"Something tells me it didn't go well." She guessed, nuzzling both girls.

Megan shook her head.

When Megan and Molly got back home, they found Wind Whistler in a foul mood and Danny typing on Megan's computer. He was e-mailing someone.

"Off now," Megan demanded. "We need to talk."

"But Megan, I was-" Danny started to say, but Megan cut him off.

"No but Megan anything. Come on." She shut the computer off mid type and ushered Danny into the living room. "Why did you not cooperate with Wind Whistler when she was trying to teach you your fractions?"

danny hung his head.

"My mind wasn't on fractions." He admitted.

"Were you thinking about Mrs. Patterson?" Molly asked, giggling.

"Molly," Megan said sternly, "You're about ten seconds away from going on time out. I suggest you go play and leave me to deal with our cousin."

Molly nodded, but she was still giggling as she left the room to find Fizzy.

After Molly was gone, Megan turned to Danny.

"You are in BIG trouble."

"For what?" Danny asked.

"For talking back to me for starters…." Megan said as she went into a lecturing mode.

Megan was frustrated about Molly's school situation and Danny's antics with his math teacher. And the stuff he was pulling just to get detention so that he could be with Mrs. Patterson was making it worse.

Danny was usually a good kid, so Megan didn't understand why he was choosing to do things this way rather than just offer to do after school jobs for Mrs. Patterson. That was a much safer way to spend time with her, at least in Megan's opinion.

Meanwhile in the nursery, Molly was looking at her new reading book that Megan had bought her. As she glanced down at the pictures, Fizzy galloped in. She smiled when she saw Molly.

"Can I join you?" She asked.

Molly nodded, but she was frowning.

"I'll never learn how to read this," She said, a few tears of defeat streaming down her face.

"Never say never," Fizzy said. "Remember, I taught you how to read when you were just four years old. You did a great job then. You can do it again. I'll help you."

Molly gazed at Fizzy hopefully.

"You will? Really? You'd do that for me?"

Fizzy smiled and nuzzled Molly lovingly.

"Of course I will. You're my best friend. I'd do anythin' for you. You know that. Come on. Let's see…" With that, Molly and Fizzy started their mini lesson.


End file.
